Cost of living comparison
United Kingdom is 10.6% cheaper than California.
- Restaurants
-
pay 18.9% less in United Kingdom
- Groceries
-
pay 34.4% less in United Kingdom
- Transportation
-
pay 26.6% more in United Kingdom
- Housing
-
pay 26.7% less in United Kingdom
- Childcare
-
pay 25.4% less in United Kingdom
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.9% less in United Kingdom
- Clothing
-
pay 9.3% more in United Kingdom
The cost of transportation and clothing in United Kingdom are more expensive than in California. Expenses including groceries, housing, childcare, restaurants, and entertainment and sports are lower in United Kingdom.
If you lived in United Kingdom instead of California, you would:
pay 18.9% less for restaurants
|
California
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.02
|
$18.70
£13.82
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.52
|
$9.25
£6.84
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.71
|
$2.23
£1.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.16
|
$1.57
£1.16
|
|
pay 34.4% less for groceries
|
California
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.14
|
$1.53
£1.13
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.95
|
$4.35
£3.22
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.61
|
$5.92
£4.38
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.33
|
$3.77
£2.78
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.70
|
$3.70
£2.73
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.34
|
$1.23
£0.91
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$0.67
£0.49
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$1.26
£0.93
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$1.42
£1.05
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.39
|
$0.65
£0.48
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.44
|
$0.65
£0.48
|
|
pay 26.6% more for transportation
|
California
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.83
|
$7.07
£5.23
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$62.05
|
$98.23
£72.61
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,005.28
|
$34,832.80
£25,748.68
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.07
|
$17.15
£12.68
|
|
pay 26.7% less for housing
|
California
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.54
|
$39.40
£29.13
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,371.29
|
$1,243.58
£919.26
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,055.18
|
$1,020.84
£754.61
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.68
|
$229.21
£169.43
|
|
pay 25.4% less for childcare
|
California
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,682.51
|
$1,497.56
£1,107.01
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,905.75
|
$18,629.32
£13,770.95
|
|
pay 4.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
California
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.00
|
$5.63
£4.16
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.34
|
$4.12
£3.05
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.91
|
$17.47
£12.91
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$66.35
|
$45.31
£33.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.41
|
$12.89
£9.53
|
|
pay 9.3% more for clothing
|
California
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.77
|
$78.43
£57.98
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.15
|
$40.13
£29.66
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.15
|
$90.36
£66.79
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$117.31
|
$96.72
£71.50
|
|
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about United Kingdom or California. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.